On the Nunnery of North Berwick, by Dr. J. Stuart. 83 



surety for her appearance at the court of the official within 

 the Collegiate Church of St. Giles, on the 30th April 

 following. At the same time, the above Alexander Oliphant 

 of Kelly, and others, were accused of the forethought felony, 

 hamesucken, and oppression done to Margaret, prioress of 

 North Berwick, and her servants, amongst her lands of 

 Grange, lying within the^hire of Fife, besetting the way to 

 the said Prioress and her servants for their slaughter, and 

 besieging them within the mansion house of the said lands. 

 The issue of the trial does not appear in the Records of 

 Justiciary where the above notice occurs. 



In the early part of the sixteenth century, Alison Home 

 was prioress. In 1523, she granted in lease to Alexander 

 Home, of Polwart, and Patrick Home, his son and apparent 

 heir, the teinds of the Kirk of Logy. In 1524, we find 

 Alison Hume, within the chapel of St. John the Baptist, in 

 the church of the Monastery, resigning the priory in favour 

 of Isabel Hume, a nun of Eccles. In 1539, "Dame Isobell 

 Hoym," along with seventeen nuns, consented to a charter 

 by William Fowler, chaplain of the altar of the Holy Rood, 

 of certain crofts on North Berwick ; but it would appear 

 as if none of them could write, as the deed is signed by a 

 notary, the ladies' subscriptions being made by him, and they 

 touching his pen. On 12th August, 1544, while Isabella 

 was still styled prioress, Dame Margaret Hume, a sister of 

 Patrick Hume, of Polwarth, was postulate or prioress elect ; 

 and they both joined in a charter of the two mills of North 

 Berwick, along with twenty nuns of the house, " with all 

 our hands laid at the pen/' On 30th March, 1562, Dame 

 Margaret was " sick and evil at ease," and on the 20th April 

 she was dead : but, although the property of the Monastery 

 had been mostly dilapidated under her charge, the Convent 

 continued to linger on under the government of another 

 lady of the family of the same name ; and this prioress 

 subscribed her own name, " Dame Margret Hoom," to a lease 

 dated in July, 1580, while the two nuns concurring, "Dam 

 Isobell Rentoun," and " Dam Margaret Donaldsonn," touched 

 the pen and their names were set down by a notary. In the 

 year 1595, the latter was the only nun of the Convent re- 

 maining alive ; and in 1596, she concurred with the prioress 

 in the last acts for the dissolution of the Monastery. At this 

 time the prioress began her deed of resignation of the Kirk 

 of Logie into the hands of the king, by a narrative that 



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